After quiet off-year elections, Democrats renew worries about Trump interfering in midterms

Election machines are shown in a room of voters casting their votes
Voters cast their vote at the Metropolitan branch of the Fulton County Public Library on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

If history is a guide, Republicans stand a good chance of losing control of the House of Representatives in 2026. They have just a slim majority in the chamber, and the incumbent party usually gives up seats in midterm elections.

President Donald Trump, whose loss of the House halfway through his first term led to two impeachments, is trying to keep history from repeating — and doing so in ways his opponents say are intended to manipulate next year’s election landscape.

He has rallied his party to remake congressional maps across the country to create more conservative-leaning House seats, an effort that could end up backfiring on him. He’s directed his administration to target Democratic politicians, activists and donors. And, Democrats worry, he’s flexing his muscles to intervene in the midterms like no administration ever has.